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Gina Vance and her dog Pinto, a one-eyed Chihuahua rescue from Maricopa County Animal Care and Control. |
B.A., Comparative History of Ideas, University of Washington
The No-Kill Nation: Essays on Animal Care and Control
My thesis project was a series of creative non-fiction essays about my experiences working in the animal welfare community in Maricopa County. What interested me the most were the parallels between our community's treatment of homeless animals and the difficulty in finding just and good solutions to these problems.
Rather than offering solutions, I address the very complicated and very emotional conflicts surrounding animal welfare and animal rights. I explore the deep and conflicted decisions individuals and communities must make about responsibility, relationships with non-humans, and the reality of companion animal over-population.
The MLS Program enriched and challenged me as a member of a community of thinkers. It inspired me to make honest changes in my day-to-day activities and to articulate my concerns with the status quo in a safe, open and constructive dialog.
MLS allowed me the flexibility to work full-time while taking classes part-time and has advanced my career by providing opportunities not available to those without a Masters degree.
Through my project I offer my perspective from the love of a dog, the fostering of orphaned kittens, the realities of a typical day at an animal shelter, and the no-kill movement in our country.